Lands' End entered the new millennium with a continued strong Internet presence. In fact, in 2001 CIO magazine voted Lands' End as one of its 'Top 100 Innovators' for this generation. Also that year, landsend.com was named as one of the top 100 sites by PC Magazine. While our phone and Internet businesses continued to thrive, a new relationship promised a third channel of business would soon be on the horizon.
Lands' End joined the Sears family in June 2002. Lands' End founder Gary Comer had stepped down as president in 1990, remaining chairman of the board and the majority stockholder until he sold the company to Sears, Roebuck & Co., another retailer with a rich and extensive history that began as a mail-order business. Mr. Comer passed away in October 2006, after a long battle with cancer. He was 78.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears, within five months Lands' End product was rolled out in more than 180 Sears full-line stores alongside other Sears clothing lines. By fall 2003, all 856 Sears full-line stores coast-to-coast featured Lands' End best-selling merchandise for the entire family.
In 2005, Lands' End took the brick-and-mortar approach one step further with the creation of Lands' End Shops at Sears. We found that by pulling all Lands' End products together on the sales floor in a 'shop concept,' we were able to enhance our presentation in the Sears stores. Today there are more than 250 Lands' End Shops at Sears in the U.S. and Canada staffed by consultants specially trained to deliver the Lands' End customer experience.
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